Lack of pictures and quality from wedding photographer***Resolved** *

[Sidewinder]

I think you (we) would need to see the precise terms under the contract that was signed before commenting too much. On the information given there are certainly some grounds to explore further action, but as stated much will depend on the nature of the contract.

 

Some questions though:-

 

A year to vet the photos? Most brides (and a good number of grooms) are keen to see the images as soon as possible and to share with family and friends. Taking 10 months does seem rather a long time, especially as there should have been some particularly treasured ones in there so it should have been fairly obvious that a chunk of them were missing.

 

Over 5000 images? Seriously? I shoot weddings and will typically take around 2,000 maximum of which I would edit down 400-500 of the best for the final album. The remainder would be duplicates as I would take several of each image to avoid closed eyes etc. The couple would be asked whether they wanted to see any more but they wouldn't usually ALL be included in the final selection

 

Any professional photographer would - or should - have backed up every wedding photo, even the poorer quality ones and a year after the event should certainly still have them available. Online storage is very cheap and convenient, but there should also be a local backup available. I still have all photos of every wedding covered. To not have a backup might be considered negligent for a 'professional'

 

Once again a 'professional' should have noticed that a significant part of the wedding coverage was missing when editing the photos.

 

£4450? I need to increase my fees! Seriously though, when charging that much you are entitled to quality and professionalism. The latter seems to be lacking

 

Any professional photographer should have professional indemnity insurance to cover events such as equipment failure or negligence in fulfilling the contract. Look at the contract again and work out where he has not met his own conditions. Then consider asking for details of his professional insurance, or whether there are sufficient grounds for small claims.

[Sidewinder]

Ah - an Indian wedding explains a lot. Unfortunately I have not done one personally but know people who have and I do understand that they are spectacular, extremely long and photos of absolutely everything are a must.

 

The key word here is Professional. What is reasonable for an amateur is not acceptable for somebody earning a living from wedding photography. It is one day to create memories that should last a lifetime and everything should be duplicated to avoid missing out on the important elements of the event. That means for an occasion such as this, shooting with two cameras, even two photographers, and backing everything up - even mid-ceremony to avoid deleting files.